I need my mate. I must find him soon.
Meiling closed her eyes. Could Whisper emerge without finding her mate? Could she just have sex with a leopard through her heat and then walk away because he wasn’t her true mate? Was it possible to be in love with one man while your leopard was the true mate of another man’s leopard? She had to get the answers to those questions immediately. No way was she going to end up like Lola Morales.
“We’ll figure it out,” she promised.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and the water washed it away. There was no keeping her hair dry, so she unpinned it and washed it. Everything, the most natural, familiar, everyday actions, seemed to be an erotic act. Lifting her arms over her head to rinse her hair, she became aware of her breasts shifting. She was small and had never considered that her breasts would be so sensitive. With every drop of water hitting her skin, she felt a fiery arrow darting straight to her sex.
Whisper rose close to the surface, pressing tightly against her, more for comfort than because she thought she could get out.
“It’s too soon,” Meiling said, more for herself than the leopard. It was too soon.
This time the disturbing sexual heat retreated quickly, leaving Meiling feeling restless and moody.
Why don’t you ask Gedeon?
The leopard didn’t exactly use the name Gedeon. She sent his image, making him appear very big and scary.
Your friend. You like him best.
“He’s my best friend,” Meiling admitted. “We talk about everything together.” She was careful patting herself dry, not taking a chance on stimulating her body any more that it had been. She could tell Whisper was very sleepy and would be fading soon. She hoped so. She needed a respite.The leopard did as well. Neither of them knew what they were doing, and the fierce sexual hunger had taken a toll on them.
“He has had his leopard a long time. He must know things.”
Who knew Whisper would be the voice of reason? Meiling wasn’t certain how she could make her understand when she didn’t understand herself.
“I would want Gedeon for my mate if I could have him,” she confessed. “But it’s impossible. We talked about having a sexual relationship and both of us agreed it would ruin what we have together. He needs other women all the time. I would not want him to be with other women if we were together.”
There was a long silence while Whisper struggled to understand.I feel your absolute rejection of the idea but cannot understand why this would bother you.
Meiling sat on the edge of the bed, the towel in her hand. She wrapped her hair in the towel to squeeze out most of the water.
“It would be the same as if when you found your mate, he would insist on mating with other female leopards.”
Again, Whisper was silent while she thought about what Meiling said to her.You stay with the same mate all the time?
Did every leopard couple stay together after they mated through the first heat? She didn’t know. “The leopards I know only stay with each other. I always thought I would have that same relationship. I will have to ask a friend to answer these questions for us.”
Once again, she made her way into the master bathroom. Her hair was fine, but there was a lot of it. She had learned to comb it out as soon as possible to prevent tangles. Since moving to New Orleans and living at the house with Gedeon, she had allowed her hair to grow longer than she ever had. She’d always had very fast-growing hair andnow it was nearly to her waist. Deftly braiding it, she secured it with a covered band and then chose clothes to join Gedeon.
Most times when she went down to his suite this late, she fell asleep, so she opted for a simple lounge suit. That always drove him crazy. He preferred she didn’t wear much in the way of clothes. In fact, if he had his way, she wouldn’t wear anything. Now, with Whisper rising, that was never going happen.
A burst of fury rushed over Meiling, shaking her.
I don’t think I would like to share my mate with another female, Whisper decided suddenly.I would want to kill her—and him.
Meiling was afraid of that—certain she would feel the same way. She kept her distance from Gedeon, never seeing him with other women. Never allowing herself to really think about that aspect of his life. In her mind, they weren’t together, and they never would be. He had made his needs clear from the very beginning of their relationship. There had been a clear line drawn and neither had ever crossed it. Now, for Meiling, everything had changed.
She held her hand out in front of her. It was trembling. Not with fear. Or trepidation. She trembled with that same underlying fury Whisper had experienced and shared with her. The edginess had started three months earlier in San Antonio, when they had worked the Atwater case together. When Lola Morales had turned so bitter, she had been willing to kidnap—and kill—a child because her love for a shifter had turned to hatred.
At first, Meiling thought the entire matter was just so disturbing that it kept her awake at night. But then she began to have heat flashes and moments of intense sexual desire. At the same time she found herself dwelling on Gedeon’s late nights at the club. It took discipline not to be angry with him, or worse—stalk him by going to the club herself. Some nights when he called for her to come to hissuite, she was so filled with anger toward him she couldn’t allow herself to go. She spent those nights in a warm bath crying, or she’d go out to the swamp and run.
“I need answers, Whisper. I can’t afford to have Gedeon be my mate, and I have this terrible feeling that he is. Or that I’ve fallen in love with him. The real thing. If that’s the case, we have to get away from here very quickly. We can’t take the chance of his leopard claiming you. That would be a disaster.”
I’m going to sleep for a long while. I’m very tired. You can talk to Gedeon and ask him questions. I won’t rise and disturb his leopard.
“Are you certain?” Meiling didn’t want to take any chances.
I can’t stay awake even to help you.
